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NASA Decision On Stranded Starliner Crew More Than A Week Away; Analysis: Inflation Eroding Buying Power Of Social Security Benefits; Americans Rethinking Alcohol Use As Study Highlights Health Risks. Aired 2:30-3p ET

Aired August 14, 2024 - 14:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[14:33:03]

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN HOST: This just in, an update from NASA on those two astronauts who are spending a lot more time in space than they had planned.

Not much of an update, but NASA does say that Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are doing great and they're keeping busy.

JESSICA DEAN, CNN HOST: And that's great news.

Remember their trip was only supposed to be a week. Now they've been on the International Space Station for more than two months. And we just found out when NASA will decide how much longer they'll be there.

Joining us now CNN space and defense correspondent, Kristin Fisher, and retired NASA astronaut, Leroy sorry, Chiao.

Kristin, let's go first to you with the update that I know you we're saying isn't a huge day, but they just want to make sure that people know they're monitoring this situation.

But what did NASA say about when the crew can return to earth?

KRISTIN FISHER, CNN SPACE & DEFENSE CORRESPONDENT: So they started the press conference by saying no major announcement. So right off the bat, you know that we're not going to get a hard return date for these astronauts.

What they did say, though, is that they are pushing back the flight readiness review. That's the meeting of NASA officials across the agency where they get together and they make the determination, is this spacecraft safe for those two astronauts to fly back on?

And so they've pushed it back to the end of next week or the beginning of the following week at the very earliest.

And so I asked the NASA associate administrator, Ken Bowersox, you know, I said, at this last press conference last week, you said it was middle of August. Now you're saying end of August. I mean, is there a drop-dead end date for when you guys have to make this decision? And he told me, "We're reaching a point where that last week in August, we really should be making a call, if not sooner."

And the reason for that is consumables. That's what he said. So things like food, water, oxygen, that sort of stuff.

SANCHEZ: Yes.

FISHER: That they're having resupplies. But that's the point that we're getting to. So they really should know something very soon, but not yet.

SANCHEZ: So one of the things I found interesting in this update was that NASA acknowledged that there were internal disagreements about what to do. Did they give any specifics on that?

[14:35:07]

FISHER: The crux of the disagreement is, is Starliner's propulsion system safe and reliable enough to do the next big tricky, risky maneuver? Which is that de-orbit burn.

Can those thrusters orient the spacecraft in the right direction so that its heat shield protects the astronauts from those super-high temperatures on re-entry?

So that's what they're debating right now. Clearly, there are some people either within the agency or within NASA who say, yes, it is safe. And there's also clearly some people who say no, they just don't think it's worth the risk.

So that is exactly what they're going to be debating at this flight readiness review, which is now pushed back again to the end of next week or beginning of the following week.

DEAN: Then maybe well have an update.

Doctor -- Dr. Chiao, if they come home on the SpaceX craft instead of the Starliner, I'm told their Starliner spacesuits won't be compatible. They would need SpaceX space - Kristen and I we're just talking about this.

Like an Adele Mac (ph) situation is kind of what it sounds like. But how do they tackle that problem?

DR. LEROY CHIAO, RETIRED NASA ASTRONAUT: Well, it's one of these things where, yes, the suits, the pressure suits that are worn inside the vehicles are very different. And so the one that they Butch and Suni wore on the Starliner would not be compatible with the SpaceX Dragon.

So what they would have to do is send up to sit Dragon space suits or SpaceX space suits or pressure suits. But those are kind of custom made and fitted so they would have to approximate the size, maybe build them a little larger than the custom-fitted ones. It could be done, you know. And so, of course, these suits are only used in an emergency. I mean, you're wearing them but they're only used if you lose cabin pressure or there's some other emergency, which is very unlikely.

But that would not be a big issue, I don't think.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Chiao, you might be very well equipped to give us some context on this question. You spent 193 days in space. Obviously, these folks have been up there for about two months, so there is a notable difference.

But when you're talking about the potential for consumables to be running low and they're not sure exactly when you're going to get home, talk to us about the psychological impact of that on someone who's out in space.

CHIAO: Sure. Yes. On my expedition 10 mission, we were up there for 193 days, so about 6.5 months. And during the first part of our mission, we had a food shortage and we also had a water shortage.

You know, the expedition nine crew had gotten into our food and we actually had to ration food for about a month so each lost five to 10 pounds. So it's no fun. It's manageable. It's doable.

But, yes, consumables, as was mentioned in the NASA press conference, that's going to become more of an issue. Of course, they have regular resupply. And I'm sure everything's working out just fine so far. But that is a question.

And then matter of, hey, when am I going to come home? You know, that's -- that's the part humans -- humans in general don't like uncertainty. And so if you flew up there expecting to come back in seven to 10 days and now you're -- here you are over two months and not sure when you're coming home, it's got to have you scratching your head a little bit.

But on the other hand, Butch and Suni are consummate professionals. Astronaut -- astronauts like being in space. I'm sure NASA planners and schedulers love having the extra hands there to help out.

And so, by and large, I'm sure everyone's in good spirits and everything's going well. But - but, yes, Butch and Suni have got to be saying, hey, come on guys, let's -- let's figure out when you're bringing us down.

DEAN: Get a plan.

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DEAN: I also --

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DEAN: Yes. Go back to the fact that they didn't get to take their suitcases. (CROSSTALK)

DEAN: -- space luggage.

SANCHEZ: Dr. Chiao, one more quick question for you. If you had even the teensiest doubt in the Starliner being able to get back home, would you jump in it or would you wait until, I believe it's February of next year that they can hitch the next ride to get home?

CHIAO: Right, so it would depend on what the engineering teams have discovered. And of course, we don't know all the details. As you pointed out, there seems to be some internal disagreement.

And so, if the result was, hey, look, we're not exactly sure why those five thrusters failed on approach, but we are very confident that the remaining that of thrusters and capabilities are intact and here's why, then I would be comfortable in getting in the vehicle and coming down.

But if they come back and say, well, we don't really understand what happened and we can't really agree on a root cause, that causes a little bit more concern.

And of course, we all look back in history, you know, look at the accidents that we have had, particularly, most recently on Columbia, you know, a couple of decades ago, yes.

But still there was an internal disagreement between the engineers. Some thought we needed more information, get some assets to take pictures. Others saying, no, it's totally fine.

[14:40:06]

And the resulting catastrophe, you know, has leaned heavily on the agency since then.

So I would be more on the conservative side I think unless the technical team was able to come back and say, we are very confident that everything is fine. We don't fully understand why those five failed, but we know that the rest of them are going to be good.

SANCHEZ: Yes, good to be safe and maybe order some pizza up there and replenish the food supply and everything will be all right.

(LAUGHTER)

SANCHEZ: Dr. Leroy Chiao, Kristen Fisher, thank you all so much.

Still to come, seniors depending on Social Security telling CNN they're struggling to afford groceries after years of inflation eating away at their benefits. What's being done about it?

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[14:45:23] SANCHEZ: Todays new report showing that inflation is down to a level not seen in more than three years is welcome news. It helps Americans with higher prices and sets the stage for a rate cut from the Fed.

But for Americans who rely on Social Security, it's not much help. Benefits have lost one-fifth of their buying power since 2010 because of inflation. That's according to a recent analysis by the Senior Citizens League.

One woman, who gets $1,163 a month in Social Security, told CNN, quote, "I'm down to eating Ramen for lunch, which I never ate in my life until recently. If it's not marked down, I just don't eat it. I haven't had beef since I don't know when. I can't afford it."

CNN senior writer, Tami Luhby, took a deep dive into what inflation has done to Social Security.

Tami, take us through what you're learning.

TAMI LUHBY, CNN SENIOR WRITER: Well, as you said, Boris, inflation is coming down, but prices remain high, and that's putting a real squeeze on many senior citizens, like Janet, whom you've just mentioned.

A lot of seniors really depend on Social Security for most of their income. They're on a fixed income.

Now, as you said, Social Security benefits have lost 20 percent of their value since 20 -- since 2010. And that means that for every hundred dollars a household could spend back then, they would only be able to afford $80 worth of goods now.

And the Senior Citizens League has calculated that for a retiree in 2010 would need to get a boost of $370 a month or $4,440 a year to make up for the value that the benefits they have lost.

SANCHEZ: So, Tami, seniors are supposed to get an annual increase in benefits, right, that's supposed to help them keep up. Why isn't that actually working?

LUHBY: Well, so seniors do get an annual cost-of-living adjustment every January, but it's based on inflation of the prior year. And a lot of the times, unfortunately, the increases just don't keep up with inflation.

In fact, the Senior Citizens League saw that eight out of the last 15 years, that's been the case. Since 2010, benefits have risen 58 percent. But the cost of goods and services typically used by seniors has risen 73 percent between 2010 and now.

The next cost of living adjustment will be announced in October. It's based on inflation in the third quarter of this year. And there will be a lot seniors will be waiting to find out and hoping that it matches whatever inflation actually is next year.

SANCHEZ: Really an eye-opening story.

Tami Luhby, thank you so much.

LUHBY: Thank you.

SANCHEZ: Still ahead, there's new research about alcohol that may make you think twice before reaching for that glass of wine. We'll be right back.

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[14:52:35]

DEAN: A new Gallup survey finds a growing number of Americans now believe drinking, even in moderation, is bad for your health, with younger Americans leading the way. This, as a separate, just released study shows maybe they're onto something here.

CNN's Meg Tirrell is joining me now with more.

So, Meg, what did they say?

MEG TIRRELL, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Gallup has been doing this alcohol consumption habits survey back to 2001. And what they find is, across the board, across age groups, 45 percent currently say that they think drinking one to two drinks per day is bad for your health.

That is the highest level they've seen since they started measuring this in 2000. It's six percentage points higher than just last year, and 17 percentage points higher since 2018.

And this is being led by younger adults. And 65 percent of U.S. adults between ages 18 and 34 say that alcohol negatively affects health compared with 37 percent for people between 35 and 54, and 39 percent for people over 55.

But younger people do still report drinking at least occasionally, however, their drinking rates are declining the fastest of all age groups.

About 59 percent of people under 34 report occasionally, at least patiently drinking. But they are seeing the biggest decline, whereas 70 percent of people 35 to 54 report drinking, and 58 percent of people over the age of 55.

So this is really something that we are being -- seen being led by younger people, Jessica.

DEAN: It's a very interesting trend. And what does the data actually show? Are they right? Is alcohol, is drinking just generally bad for your health?

TIRRELL: Well, they are generally correct. Increasingly, research that has come out showing links between consuming alcohol and health concerns, including cancer and heart disease.

There was just a one recent study this week, particularly in older adults over the age of 60 in the U.K., that showed even moderate levels of drinking was associated -- were associated with a higher risk of getting cancer or higher levels of drinking of getting heart disease later in life.

This is still something that's being studied, but generally researchers are putting out the message that less is better when it comes to alcohol. There are still some nuances that we're getting teased out, though -- Jessica?

DEAN: All right. Interesting stuff.

Meg Tirrell, thanks so much.

[14:54:52]

Donald Trump is about to deliver remarks on the economy. His allies say he must stay on message. We'll head to North Carolina where he's about to speak.

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SANCHEZ: Who do you trust on the economy? That question could decide the presidential election. And between today and Friday, both candidates are staking their claim for why they are the one to trust in November.

[14:59:57]

As a new report suggests, the Fed may be winning the fight against inflation.

Plus, Ernesto wreaking havoc. The hurricane pummeling Puerto Rico, knocking out power to nearly half of customers.